Prophecy
by Arigatomina
Summary: Yaoi, AU, KuramaxHiei. Kurama is drawn to a strange dimension, and he's expected to end the Koorime's curse as legends have foretold. But there's a catch. Hiei's role is already determined.
1. Default Chapter

Author's Notes: This will be my first 'preggy fic' and my first 'slave fic' - though it takes a big spin on both cliches. I seriously doubt this has been done before, so I'm not too worried. Just don't expect the fic to play out like others you may have seen for these 'types' but keep in mind that it'll have aspects of both genres.

Category: Anime, YYH, Yaoi, AU  
Pairings: will be KuramaxHiei  
Warnings: none, will have angst and lemon content in future parts  
Author: Arigatomina

**Prophecy**

_Part 1_

His head nodded, an instinctive twitch lifting it for a moment before it eased down again. Three times should have been enough, but he hadn't slept in so long. He just wanted to rest his eyes for a minute, a short break from the experiment. No harm in that, he'd locked the doors so it wasn't like the others would notice his slip. The vague sleep filled thought came right with a real slip. His body decided to follow his bowed head and he pitched forward in a remarkable lack of grace.

Green eyes snapped open at the loss of balance, pale hands flailing in front of him. Sparks, currents, all the carefully manipulated fields twined inches before his eyes. He gave a sharp denial as his hands struck the orb, months of effort tipping away, wires tugged free. He crashed into the machine, taking it down in a nasty heap of hissing sparks. His desperate fingers clutched at the hot orb, jerking it close as he twisted to keep from crushing it in his fall. And it cracked between his palms.

For a brief moment he was frozen with shock, eyes blind from the explosion. His numb fingers twitched first, brushing something. Then he blinked, gasping as the light seemed to condense into a small circle before him, darkness all around it. He realized he was still holding the orb. The fields were a paler shade, more blue than white, but the orb was definitely intact. His hands had merely cupped it.

He was just sighing in relief, ready to pass it all off as a daydream caused by his isolation in the lab, when he realized the darkness behind the glowing orb hadn't changed. There were lights in the lab, even an electrical outage wouldn't effect the backup generator. But that darkness remained.

Was he still dreaming, then?

Kurama blinked again, moving his hands away from he cool orb to rub his eyes. His sight did adjust a little when he looked again. He could make out a shadowy wall not too far from the orb, and the orb itself seemed to be sitting on a pedastool or something. There weren't any wires attached to it, the glow much calmer than it should have been.

And silence. The orb was absolutely silent along with the room. At least, it was silent until something rustled behind him.

Kurama wheeled sharply, wide eyes suddenly growing ever so much wider as he realized he wasn't alone. And he definitely wasn't in his lab.

The room was dark, with the only light coming from the orb behind him, but he could make out figures in pale robes mere feet from him. They seemed to be praying, bent in some old form of worship. His gasp caught their attention.

When they looked up he was sure their wide eyes mirrored his own expression. Suddenly he wondered if he hadn't fallen after all and struck his head. He wasn't the sort to dream up something so strange.

Despite the dark, he saw that they were all the same, each one having the same features, the same pale eyes, the same pale blue hair. That decided it. He had to have hit his head if he were imagining blue haired women.

As if they'd planned it, they all gasped, Kurama shivering at how eerily similar the voices were. The women closest to him scrambled away from him, and he blinked at how tall they all were. Not sure what to do, he let his eyes move from one to another, taking in the identical robes and features.

A sharp cry broke his dazed study, and he flinched, jerking around to find the source of the sound.

Another of those odd blue-haired females was struggling between two others. This one was smaller, barely half as tall as the two dragging her, and her eyes seemed notably darker than the others. Those eyes were sparkling, sharp points of light falling to spark on the dark floor and he could swear he heard them land, soft tinkling that had an almost ominous sound to it. The three moved further from the frozen women, and he spotted a faint doorway as they disappeared through it.

A signal seemed to pass at their exit, because the other women abruptly dropped again. Confusion, and not a little wariness swamped over Kurama as he stared down at them. They were definitely bowing, but he could swear they were bowing at him, and not the orb behind him. Dream or not, he couldn't just stand still.

With a deep breath, he leaned down a little, looking at the bowed head of the woman closest to him. "Ano...excuse me, but I think I'm lost."

It was so ridiculous he might have laughed if the woman hadn't let out a quiet whimper and scooted a few feet further away from him.

A soft sound caught his ear, and his gaze snapped up to find movement in that shadowed doorway. Another tall female entered the darkened room, the bowing women shifting aside to leave a cleared path for her to walk. She looked older, and he couldn't help but be relieved to see they weren't all clones. But aside from her white hair and the wrinkles, she had the same robe, the same pale eyes.

Kurama opened his mouth to try a hesitant question, and the words died in his throat. The woman walked straight to him and bowed, just like the rest. Kurama's left eye twitched and he frowned down at her.

"We have awaited you arrival," she said.

That scratchy voice was quiet, but it managed to turn his frown into an expression of pure confusion. Again he opened his mouth, only to find the words dying once more.

The other women were backing from the room, moving so quietly he barely heard their long pale robes rustle. Kurama watched as the last one disappeared through that distant doorway. He was about to turn his eyes back down to the woman in front of him when someone else appeared in the doorway, and he blinked.

Dark.

The word echoed in his mind as he stared at the small figure outlined across from him. Dark hair, dark loose pants, dark shirt with odd sleeves that he could see pale skin beneath. And dark, dark eyes that locked with his and paralyzed him.

The figure moved, a silent step into the room. Kurama shuddered.

A shockwave shook him, heat rushing through his veins followed by icy pain that clenched his muscles in an instant. He barely registered the gasp from the woman in front of him, his eyes closed tightly against the stabbing current.

Then it was gone, as suddenly as it had come.

A shaky breath left his lips and he gasped before forcing his eyes open. The woman was still there, but the dark one was now kneeling to her left.

Kurama's eyes fell to that one, but something else caught his attention. His white lab coat was gone.

Jerking back, he clutched his chest, staring down at the odd clothing that had somehow replaced his own. It was thin, still white, but it looked like a robe or a toga or something from the middle ages. And it barely closed over his chest.

His shocked gaze snapped back to the woman, but he was distracted again. Silvery white hair had flown over his shoulder with the movement and he nearly reeled back. With trembling fingers, he touched the strands, pulling more over his shoulder where he could look at it.

This wasn't his hair. Not only was the color wrong, but it was thin, very fine, and flowed from his fingers without the slightest tangle. With a numb sense of bemusement, he moved a hand over his head, feeling the difference from his normal tangle of thick red.

And he encountered a furry object that made him choke. If he didn't know better, he'd have sworn there were pointy ears on the top of his head. The thought came just as he noticed something swish along his thighs.

Head snapping around, he forgot to breathe. There was a tail behind him, and it was coming out of the back of those odd pants.

He must have hit his head very hard. Now he was worried.

"I'll take you to your den."

The low voice made him jerk in surprise, and the words registered just as he looked down to meet dark wide eyes. "My what?" asked Kurama.

The woman shifted, and he blinked in utter confusion when she sent a somehow icy glare to the dark one beside her. Then he was staring into the male's eyes again, registering the blood red color with a bit of wariness.

Though small and bowing before him, the male felt dangerous. Those dark eyes just felt...dangerous.

Silence ate at him for a long minute before he realized they were waiting. With a long suffering sigh, he shrugged. "All right."

Dream or injury induced hallucination, he wasn't going to figure much out by standing there.

The woman stood, her eyes not meeting his as she half bowed and waved him toward the doorway. Kurama followed her, doing his best not to shiver when he felt that tail brush his legs again.

Despite himself, he couldn't help but glance back at that furry appendage, and he blinked. That dark male was following them, directly behind him. But those eyes were directed at the floor, narrow in a readable glare. Kurama turned away quickly.

The doorway was shielded by some sort of dark curtain, and he watched in bemusement as it moved to let them through, as if it had a life of its own. Then they were walking down some sort of tunnel.

Though he was a scientist, Kurama couldn't make out what the walls and floor were made of. It seemed to be some sort of crystal, pale blue and glowing with an easy light that glinted on the old woman's same shaded robe.

More dark doorways spotted the walls, similar curtains blocking the rooms from view, and he turned back to look at one as they moved by. A glance at the dark male still shadowing them made him whip his head back around.

For some reason it made him very uncomfortable to know the stranger was directly behind him, even if those eyes were still directed at the floor. At least he wasn't staring at his tail.

They moved straight for what must have been minutes before the tunnel ended sharply. Another doorway was before them, but this one had a white curtain, unlike any of the ones they'd passed.

The woman stepped to it, moving just inside and bowing slightly.

"Please enter."

Looking at her nervously, Kurama moved through the doorway. He stopped a few feet inside and looked around with surprise.

There were lights on the ceiling that looked almost like the ones in his office. The similarity was uncanny. But the walls were definitely made of stone, a pale marble that glinted under the yellow lights. The floor seemed to be made of the same.

A doorway stood to the right, and Kurama felt a wash of familiarity when he caught sight of what lay inside. It was a normal bathroom, nothing odd and glowing, just a normal room. Well, not quite normal considering they hadn't used that sort of facility since the late twentieth century, but close enough.

Not far from the doorway was a huge canopied bed with pale irridescent curtains that made him raise an eyebrow. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen one of those.

And there was a fireplace on the other side of the room. They'd outlawed those years ago. So much for the room being normal.

Kurama frowned in frustration as he stared at the fire, not really looking at the pillowy pads laid in front of it.

This was just weird. He barely glanced over the dark alcove on the left, taking in black curtain over it. He'd seen plenty of those during the walk through that tunnel.

And that was it. The rest of the room was empty.

His gaze shifted in another, quicker look around the room before falling back to the two standing near the doorway. The dark one was right next to the door, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. And he was still glaring at the floor.

The woman stepped toward him, and Kurama wasn't too surprised when she bowed yet again. Much more of this and he'd get used to it. She stood again, and he blinked when she waved a wrinkled hand at the room.

"This is your den. If it is lacking anything, speak. Whatever you desire will be provided. We are forever in your debt." Pale blue eyes rose to look at him for a second before she dropped in another half bow. "We thank you for coming as the legend said you would, coming to break the curse."

Kurama's eyebrow twitched again, and he shook his head. "I think there's been some mistake. I don't know where this is, or what you're talking about. And I definitely don't know anything about a curse."

Wide red eyes snapped to him, and Kurama blinked in surprise. That sense of danger he'd read from the male disappeared.

The woman had also lifted her head, but she dropped it again. "You are the one," she said, "who has come to save us from extinction."

Eyebrow rising, Kurama stared at her bowed head. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"The prophecy foretold the coming of a demon who will take the forbidden child and undo the curse that has fallen upon us."

"I don't understand," Kurama said, frowning when she still didn't look at him. "What is this curse?"

Her voice hardened a bit, but she kept her gaze aimed at the floor. "We have been unable to bear children since a demon came into our midst and corrupted us. Once the demon seed gives birth to new life the curse will end."

Did they expect him to get one of them pregnant?

Kurama shifted back without thinking, his expression twisting into a disgusted scowl. No wonder he was having this dream. His mother had been pushing him to produce an heir for years now to take over the corporation.

But...this was a little odd to be a dream. If it were real...

Kurama's eyes widened suddenly and he took a sharper step back, his voice rising. "You don't expect me to have a kid with one of you! I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline. You must have the wrong person."

The woman flinched, wide blue eyes looking up at him in obvious surprise and something else. It almost looked like disgust.

"We do not profane ourselves to produce children," she whispered, her voice cold. "Our births are clean and untouched by male corruption."

Relief nearly weakened his legs, and Kurama sighed. "That's good to hear. But...you mean you have children without sex? That's-"

"Of course," the woman nodded. "But since the curse, that has not happened."

With a confused sigh, Kurama ran a hand through his hair, scowling when he brushed one of those odd pointed ears. "I don't understand. How am I supposed to help you, then?"

The woman waved a hand to the side, directing his gaze to the dark male still leaning against the wall. "Once the forbidden child gives birth, the curse will lift."

"The-" Kurama's mouth snapped shut and his eyes bulged in sudden understanding. "You-"

His hands flew up and he took a huge step back. "Are you kidding! He's a male. He can't have children, and especially not by me he can't!"

The male in question was now glaring at him, but Kurama didn't particularly care. Shaking his head furiously, he took yet another step back. "No way."

Straightening, the woman turned to follow his gaze, her eyes narrowing sharply when she caught sight of the dark glare. With a half bow to Kurama, she moved back. "I appologize. Please rest yourself."

Wide golden eyes stared at her, but she quickly avoided them, her gaze falling on Hiei. The short male dropped his eyes as well.

Kurama didn't move as he watched them leave the room, his body pretty much frozen in place. After a moment, he managed to break out of it.

Shaking his confusion aside, he moved to the doorway, thinking to watch them, and maybe look around to see if there were a way out of this place. But his hands didn't fall on cloth when he went to shift the curtain aside. No matter what it looked like, the texture was solid, hard, and it didn't give. It might as well have been stone itself.

They'd locked him in.

TBC

-notes-  
Yes, it gets longer, with much more dialogue in future parts, and further explanation of the prophecy. I've had this fic idea for a few years now and figured I'd go ahead and give it a go.


	2. Part 2

Category: Anime, Yu Yu Hakusho, Yaoi, AU  
Warnings: slight angst  
Pairings: will be KuramaxHiei  
Author: Arigatomina

**Prophecy**

_Part 2_

After a brief tour to explore the windowless room, Kurama gave up. The only exit was that white curtain, and it was obviously a wall now.

He sat on the bed with his head in his hands. He was still as tired as he'd been in his lab, but now he had a terrible headache to go with it. And trying to rationalize what was happening only made his temples throb even more.

It was too odd to be a dream. And those ears...he'd checked in the mirror in the bathroom and they were definitely real.

And what about the tail? That was real, too.

He turned a bit, looking down at the silvery tail half curled on the bed behind him. It moved naturally when he thought about it shifting, definitely obeying some thought of his.

His hand eased down, and he smirked when his fingers touched the silky hair. He could feel even that light pressure.

With a bemused smile, he reached up to trail his hand through his pale hair. No wig. This was as real as his own hair had been.

And the ears were as mobile as the tail. A light pinch on the tip of one and he winced, those ears flicking back against his hair. Pain was real, and petting one he found the sensation pleasant. They were soft, like they were lined in velvet. Fur.

He had fur covered ears. And a mobile longhaired tail like some shaggy canine. And if he hadn't known better, he'd have sworn he were taller. That early look in the mirror had also found that while his face looked about the same, his eyes were more narrow. And gold. He had pale golden eyes.

Too strange to be a dream.

As good as he normally was with puzzles, he didn't think he could rationalize this. All he could think was that the experiment had somehow moved him to another place. Some strange place where a bunch of identical females expected him to break a curse. And that made about as much sense as the tail.

A light prickling sensation passed over him, twitching the tips of his ears, and Kurama flinched. That white curtain was soft again, shifting aside as easily as it had when he'd entered earlier. The dark one was back.

Kurama straightened where he sat on the bed.

The black-haired male was alone this time, and he watched him cross the room to that black cloth near the wall. He hadn't looked there during his brief search earlier. Since the white curtain had become solid, he'd assumed that one would as well. But it was moving now.

The small male was doing something that he couldn't see. Leaning to the side to try and see around him, Kurama frowned.

He was shifting restlessly by the time the male finally turned and revealed...a tray? Food? He was certainly hungry.

The male stopped next to the bed, and Kurama's gaze dropped to the small things on the offered tray. He didn't recognize it, but it did look like some sort of snack. He hesitated, glancing at those odd red eyes, but the male kept his gaze lowered. With a quiet sigh, Kurama took some of the offered food.

If they were going to poison him, then there wasn't much he could do about it. As long as he was trapped, he'd either eat it or starve.

He didn't know what to expect when he ate one of the little bits, so the taste was a pleasant surprise. Not meat, not any plant he recognized, but definitely similar to a meat pastry. The texture was soft, and it seemed to melt on his tongue - in a good way. He smiled.

"That's delicious," said Kurama. "Thank you."

He reached out to accept the tray and his smile faltered. The male didn't let go or look at him, just standing there with it.

Not sure what to do, Kurama tilted his head and pulled his hand back. "Do you want to share?"

Wide red eyes flashed up at him, and he blinked in surprise. The startled expression made him look so young, not the least bit of that dangerous air Kurama had sensed from him earlier. But the male still didn't speak, dropping his eyes almost immediately.

The silence was starting to get to him. Kurama frowned in discomfort. He was hungry, but he didn't really want to eat with the male just standing there.

Ignoring the food, he took the time to actually look at him.

He was short, with black hair that stood in an odd sweep over his head, almost like a flame. There were bits of white over his forehead, but the rest was pure black, just like that odd clothing he wore. And those wide eyes were unusual, shaped like some feline. The red color wasn't nearly as strange as how wide the male's eyes were. With his pale face and dark clothing, it made him look like he'd never seen daylight.

And that look he'd given him...nothing like the glare from earlier. If he hadn't heard the male's deep voice when he offered to take him to his 'den' he would have been sure he was a child.

His den.

The thought reminded him of what he was expected to do with this person, and Kurama scowled. "Is that woman serious about this curse?"

A sharp nod answered him, making him frown more. Why wouldn't he look at him?

More silence ate at him, and Kurama finally leaned away. "I'm not hungry, so you can put that back."

The male's left eyebrow twitched, and Kurama blinked when he gave a slight frown. Then he crouched suddenly, setting the tray to the side. When he stood, it was to turn a blank face up at Kurama.

As much as he'd disliked having the male not look at him, that dead stare was even worse. It was unerving. Kurama frowned and folded his arms over his chest.

"You really expect to have a baby?" he asked.

A sharp nod was his answer.

"And you're male?"

Another nod.

Kurama gave an exasperated sigh, scowling at him. "How can a male get pregnant? What are you?"

Those dark red eyes narrowed a bit, but the face remained blank. "Demon seed."

Kurama blinked at how evenly that was given. It sounded like an insult, but the male said it as if it were nothing. And that seemingly blank gaze remained.

"I am the forbidden child."

With a soft sigh, Kurama shook his head. He'd already heard that much from the woman when she'd told about the curse.

"What's your name?" asked Kurama.

This got a distinct reaction. The male scowled, all hints of that blank pretense washed away. "What does it matter?"

Kurama groaned in frustration, throwing his hands up. He didn't notice the way his sharp movement made the male flinch and close his eyes.

"You really plan to have sex because of some legend? With me! And you won't even tell me your name first? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Why would I cooperate if you don't even try to..."

Kurama's words trailed off when he realized the male's eyes were closed. His own gaze dropped, noting the way the dark one was clenching his fists.

If he angered him, what would they do to him? This was too dangerous. He wasn't in any position to risk that, not when he didn't even know where he was.

Kurama's voice softened, his gaze more calm. "You really are serious about this?"

Those red eyes turned up to him, but the answering nod seemed more tentative this time.

"How do you know I'm the one this prophecy was talking about?"

Red eyes blinked in visible surprise. "You're the white one. The only male to step foot inside the temple."

"But you came in," Kurama frowned. The male didn't respond and he sighed. "You don't look much like the others."

Those dark eyes flicked away, narrow once more. He looked angry again.

"Does...my appearance displease you?"

Did he think he'd insulted him?

"No!" Kurama blurted, shaking his head. "I was just thinking that the women from earlier all looked the same. And you don't look anything like them."

The male was still looking off to the right, and Kurama followed his gaze. He didn't see anything but the white curtain the male had entered through.

"What do you want me to change?"

Kurama shook his head again. "Nothing. You're fine the way you are."

For a moment he thought he'd said the wrong thing, but the male's face was very blank. He wasn't glaring, he just wasn't looking at him.

"Why do you hesitate, then? How have I displeased you?"

"What - you haven't," Kurama frowned.

If anyone had upset him, it was that woman with her curse talk, expecting him to...

"Then there's no need to wait." Dark eyes turned back to Kurama. "I'm ready."

"Wh-" Kurama's eyes widened and he choked. "I'm not ready! You might be, but I'm not! Listen, I'm not going to have sex with a stranger just because of some prophecy I've never even heard before!"

The male glared suddenly, and Kurama flinched when a low growl issued through clenched teeth. Blinking warily, Kurama leaned back on the bed. The male seemed to be shaking in anger.

Was he going to attack him? He flinched again when those red eyes seemed to blaze into him. The look held him for a long moment before the male suddenly broke eye contact and dropped to the floor.

For a second he thought the male had collapsed. Kurama eased to closer to the edge of the bed and blinked down at the dark one. And his eyes widened in disbelief.

The male was bowing to him like the woman had earlier. The same male who'd just growled in anger at him was now...

His confusion upset him more than anything, and Kurama sighed, frowning down at that bowed head.

"Forgive me..."

The soft words made Kurama's eyes widen.

"It is not my place to question what you want or when."

"No," another spoke, "it is not."

Kurama jerked around, staring at the old woman who was suddenly standing in the doorway.

Her cold tone made the hairs on his tail rise - something he'd be embarrassed about later - but it was her right hand that made him freeze. She was holding a very wicked looking knife, about as long as her forearm.

Did he even want to know what she planned to do with that?

The woman moved forward, and Kurama reacted on instinct. In a second he was standing on the other side of the bed, wide wary eyes locked on that bright blade. He didn't even remember moving.

The woman didn't look at him, though, crossing to stand next to the still bowing male. He rose, those red eyes closed, and Kurama frowned.

"What are you-"

Pale blue eyes turned on him, and Kurama bit back his words. She'd lifted that knife and his gaze locked on it again. But she merely held it to the side and gave him a low half-bow.

"Forgive us for not having prepared him to your liking. It will be remedied immediately."

"That's not-"

The old woman turned, and Kurama felt a sudden wash of heat rush his senses. She'd moved that knife toward the small male standing across the bed from him.

He growled in sudden hot anger. "What are you doing!"

"The remedy," she stated.

The curved blade gave a light blue glow, and she pressed it to Hiei's forehead. A bit of pressure and she turned to stare at Kurama. "Your name?"

"...Kurama..."

She was cutting him.

Kurama's breath caught in his throat and he stared at the two in disbelief, his hands curled tightly. He could see the dark red blood trailing down the male's pale face, but he just stood there and let her.

"Why are you-"

The woman shifted back a step and Kurama flinched at the dark cut.

It opened. A dark blue eye in the middle of a pale bloody forehead. And it was staring at him.

"Hiei..."

The faint whisper reached him just before that eye closed. Then the male sagged, falling with a light but audible sound on the hard floor.

The woman flinched back, jerking her robes free with a mottled scowl. Her disgusted expression seemed to trigger something in Kurama and he growled at her again.

"What did you do? What was that?"

He could feel his fingernails slicing his palms, but he didn't stop to wonder when they'd grown sharp. He had a very strong urge to strike the old woman, to use that blade on her. The surprised eyes she turned to him only made it stronger.

"Forgive us," she said, bowing again. "He will not displease you again. This is merely the initial reaction, do not hold it against us. I will wake him immediately."

"What-"

The woman pulled what looked like a piece of paper from her robe and Kurama moved. He'd never seen something like that, but he knew it was bad. Just the sight of it enraged him.

"Don't!"

She dropped it a moment before he reached her. A terrified gasp left the woman as she flinched away from him, but he didn't even look at her when she rushed from the room.

That small slip of paper had landed on the male's arm, what looked like electricity igniting on contact. Kurama growled when the small male flinched and curled into a tight ball. A pale hand trembled, reaching toward the paper but not quite touching it.

Because it was aimed for him. He couldn't remove it himself.

The thought came to Kurama and he accepted it, not wondering how he knew that. Crouching beside him, Kurama jerked it free and crushed it in his palm. A wave of something made his hand glow, but again, he didn't think about it. The paper disappeared in that slight glow, and that was all that mattered.

A sketchy gasp reached him, but the male continued to shiver.

Hiei. The name echoed in Kurama's mind.

There was blood on the floor near Hiei's curved back, spots from that wound. That eye. But he wouldn't think of it now.

A light touch found the male's arm very cold, and Kurama moved him, pulling him up. He'd spend some time wondering about his own instincts later, but for now he knew the male needed warmth. Though he hadn't made a sound, he was in pain.

Because he didn't have enough...power? Energy?

The word escaped him, but Kurama knew it was needed.

With a dark glare at the white curtain the woman had escaped through, Kurama drew the male close.

She would regret that. He would not forgive this. Why it mattered to him, he had no idea, but he knew it did.

.-.  
TBC


	3. Part 3

Author's Notes: Someone asked about how 'Shuuichi' Kurama is acting now that he's in a youko body. Well, his body changed the moment he was in the same room with Hiei (when Hiei stepped through the doorway) - just his body changed. His instincts won't waken that quickly, and once they do start to wake, he still won't be "Youko Kurama." He'll be the youko with a human memory and demon skills that he is in the latter part of the anime - that's why I kept him as Kurama throughout. It's not 'Shuuichi' you're seeing, it's Kurama's human self being merged with something foreign. I'd say more, but it would ruin the story.

Category: Anime, Yu Yu Hakusho, Yaoi, AU  
Warnings: minor angst, dialogue  
Pairings: KuramaxHiei  
Author: Arigatomina

**Prophecy**

_Part 3_

Hiei woke to the sensation of being touched. His eyes snapped open with an awareness that belied any lingering weakness he might have had. He didn't move, but his gaze immediately pinpointed the hand that hovered near his face.

A soft sound caught his attention away, drawing his eyes to the white figure half curled to the side of him.

Kurama gave an amused smile as he pulled his hand away and waved toward the fire at Hiei's back. "Do you always purr when you're warm?"

It was a taunt more than anything, and a teasing one. He'd come to a decision after watching the small male sleep. If he was going to reconcile his situation, his best chance was through Hiei.

Those red eyes narrowed at his words, and Kurama gave a sly smirk. "Well," he prodded, "do you?"

"Do I...purr?"

Hiei frowned at Kurama, not sure what was expected. He was lying on his side facing the white demon, and he took note of his position with just a hint of apprehension. It took most of his attention just to keep his body from moving. This was where he'd been placed, so this was where he'd stay.

"Do you want me to purr?" asked Hiei.

"Oh no," said Kurama, "none of that."

He folded his arms over his chest, adopting a demeanor of control that he didn't feel. This was a game, clearly, and he could play any game so long as he knew the rules.

"I asked you a question," Kurama smiled, his eyes taunting. "You want to keep me happy, right? So when I ask you a question, you shouldn't answer it with a question of your own. It's disrespectful."

Red eyes widened at that, Hiei's face paling. "Forgive me."

Kurama's smile nearly cracked, but he held it in place. He didn't like this game one bit. It was ridiculous, infuriating, confusing, and he had an inexplicable notion that Hiei's submissive behavior was against his nature. But he needed answers.

"Forgiven," Kurama nodded. "So you'll answer my questions?"

Hiei gave a slow nod, looking up warily. "I don't know."

That wasn't the obedient response Kurama had expected. It threw him off, making him wonder if he'd misjudged this game.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Kurama asked, more than a little frustrated.

"I've never been warm," Hiei frowned, "so I don't know if I always purr when I'm warm. I can't answer that question because I don't know."

"Oh."

Kurama sighed, rubbing his palm over his temple. It had been a stupid question to begin with. But still...

"How can you have never been warm?" asked Kurama. "If this fire is here, your people have the ability to heat this place."

"The fire is for you," said Hiei. "They prefer the cold."

"What are they? You said your prophecy called me a demon, so what does that make you and your people?"

"I am demon-"

"Right," Kurama interrupted, rolling his eyes. "You're demon seed, or demon spawn, forbidden child - I remember. But what are you? You and the others aren't human, not if they can reproduce asexually, not if males can get pregnant."

"Hu-"

A pale green pulse flashed behind the bandage Kurama had wrapped around his forehead. Hiei's mouth snapped shut and he grimaced, glaring off to the side. Kurama jerked back in surprise.

"What was that?" asked Kurama. "Are you all right?"

He leaned a bit closer, keeping a wary eye on the place he knew that third eye to be. It had been closed when he first bandaged Hiei's forehead, but from the flash he had an idea the eye was open now.

"Hiei?"

"I don't understand," Hiei said tightly, seething as he kept his glare from focusing on Kurama. "The term human. I can't answer that."

Kurama frowned, losing his patience with this entire situation. "You can't tell me what you are? Or you can't tell me what that flash was? And is it really can't...or won't?"

Red eyes snapped up to glare at him, and Kurama glared right back. "For someone who wants my help, you're not being very helpful. What the hell are the rules here? If you were planning to use me, you'd have done it already. If you were really as obedient as you pretend to be, you wouldn't have so much trouble answering a simple question. And don't just lie there like you're vulnerable. If you were afraid of me, you wouldn't be driving me crazy like this."

"I'm not afraid of you," Hiei spat. "I fear nothing."

"Really," Kurama scoffed, "then drop the act."

Kurama leaned away, watching as Hiei rose to a seated position across from him. Those dark eyes fairly blazed, a sharp answer to his challenge. And somehow it made a wry smile twist Kurama's lips.

"This is the real you."

"Of course," Hiei growled.

"So what happens now?" Kurama pushed. "Do you really need my cooperation to break this curse of yours, or was that just another act?"

"Co-"

Hiei flinched as that pulse flashed again, and he closed his eyes with a deep growl. Kurama stared in complete confusion.

A small part of him noted that where he'd been afraid of Hiei's growl when they first met, now the sound was almost pleasant to his senses, arousing. Kurama shook the thought off as quickly as it came and scowled down at Hiei.

"What is that light?" he demanded. "That eye? What is it? Why did that woman cut you so that eye could open? Why is it so hard for you to answer my questions? Why-"

Red eyes snapped to him, and Kurama lifted his chin. He could read the absolute loathing in that gaze, and it was the last proverbial straw.

"Forget it," he spat, climbing to his feet. "You can break your own curse, or go extinct - I don't care. I'm through trying to reason with you. I want out. Now."

That tail slashed along the back of his legs, and Kurama glared darker. He stalked across the room and focused all of his anger and frustration on that white curtain.

"Old woman," Kurama warned, "If you're watching, get him out of here or let me go. I'm sick of this."

"She won't let you go..."

Kurama whipped around, glaring over at Hiei. "But she is watching," Kurama hissed, "isn't she."

"No," said Hiei. "She has no need to watch now."

"And why is that?"

Those red eyes were still radiating a loathing so thick Kurama should have been terrified, considering he was trapped here. But all he felt was anger, frustration, restlessness...and an overwhelming need to take it out on the person taunting him with that glare.

Hiei sniffed, tossing his head and flicking his eyes away. "You know why," he said. "You've tested it. The jagan is complete."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kurama said coldly. "You just keep giving me non answers, taunting me. You're doing it on purpose, aren't you. Do you really want me to attack you? Is that it?"

He glared, his hands curling at his sides as he moved a few steps toward Hiei. "I've never been a violent person," said Kurama, "but you're pushing me into it. Why? From the moment she came in here with that knife - you didn't just change the way I look. I feel like I'm losing myself, and you're the one driving me over the edge. Why?"

Kurama had closed the distance between them, but Hiei's face was still turned away. That small reasonable part of him knew that a glare right now would have tipped him into a full blown rage, but being ignored was nearly as bad. "Look at me when I talk to you! I want answers!"

The fire leapt across from him, and Kurama jerked back with wide eyes. The flame was laced with black, the color cutting through his adrenaline rush like a breath of cold air.

What was he doing? One never hurt a mate unless there was no other choice.

That alien thought doused any anger Kurama had left. Mate? Hurt?

His eyes fell and he stared in cold fury. Hiei was curled over his knees, light tremors tracing down his back. Kurama dropped, his gaze darting over the bent form. The rage simmering in him was the same as he'd felt earlier when the woman had dropped the ward on Hiei. Only this time it was directed at himself.

He'd done this. He didn't know how, but somehow he was responsible.

"Hiei...?"

Dull red eyes turned up on him, the answer a rough whisper. "Yes."

Kurama winced at the blank look Hiei gave him, the complete lack of emotion or even life in that obedient gaze. "What happened? I honestly don't know what this is - any of this."

"You gave conflicting orders," Hiei stated, his tone absolutely monotone. "You told me to stop being vulnerable and submissive, so I did. You told me to keep giving you non answers, taunting you, so I did. You told me not to ask questions of you, so I had to determine what you meant by non answers and taunting. I took it to mean no answers at all, ignoring you. Your last orders conflicted with that. I can't obey conflicting orders, no more than I can answer a question I don't understand. The jagan enforces obedience. You need to redefine the orders."

"Jagan," Kurama whispered, "you mean that eye. It makes you do whatever I say?"

"Yes."

"So...if I told you to stand, and told you to sit...you'd be punished no matter what you did?" Hiei gave a sharp nod, and Kurama stared in disbelief. "That's inhuman."

A pained expression pulled at Hiei's formerly blank face. Kurama winced in reaction. "You still don't know what human means. When I came to this place - before I saw you in that temple - I was human. A normal, redhaired, green-eyed human."

"I saw that," Hiei admitted, a tiny frown sneaking onto his face. "I thought it was your female form."

Kurama's eyes widened and he nearly choked, his face flaming red. "Thanks so much!"

"Had the elder known it was a male form, she would have sent the females out before entering herself," Hiei shrugged. "They were never supposed to see a male."

"What about you?" asked Kurama.

"The elder is the only one who has seen me."

That just didn't make rational sense. Kurama sighed. "How could you live in an isolated place like this without any of them seeing you? How old are you?"

"I have been warded since birth," said Hiei. "I didn't leave until the elder confirmed your arrival. I don't know my age because I have no judge for time. I've never been above."

"Above," Kurama said quickly, latching onto that. "What's above here? Are we underground?"

Hiei's eyebrow twitched, that tiny frown growing just a bit. "I don't know what's above. I told you, I've never been there. But we are underground and...some legends say...above ground."

"Both?" asked Kurama. "How could it be both at the same time?"

"The koorime are said to isolate themselves on a floating island. Here is under the ground of that, while the island is above the ground it floats over. A sky island, not water."

The very idea sent Kurama's scientific mind reeling away in mindnumbing impossibilities. He shook his head to clear the arguing voices and conflicting thoughts. "Okay," he said, partly to himself. "So...koorime. Is that what you call yourselves?"

"What they call themselves. I am not one of them."

"Right," Kurama nodded, "because you're male. And these koorime are all females, humanoid, but not humans or demons?"

"Demon is a forbidden youkai," Hiei said haltingly. His brows were drawn, as if he were fighting something. "I don't know how you define the word demon, or if you know the meaning of youkai. I can't answer that question. Making an assumption conflicts with your order to give straight answers without asking."

Kurama paled, his eyes narrow. "Orders again," he whispered. "How does that eye enforce orders?"

"I don't know how it works," Hiei said, his voice strained. "I can't answer that."

"It's hurting you," Kurama glared, "isn't it."

Hiei's expression darkened and he looked away. A pale green pulse flashed behind the bandages and he turned his gaze back, his face losing all expression. "Yes."

That tight response made Kurama glare even more. "You didn't want to answer that," he stated, being careful not to make it a question. "It made you answer. So it works by hurting you. Why did you say you didn't know how it worked?"

"I don't know," Hiei repeated, a hint of anger flashing to his eyes. "It has never been used before this. It does enforce obedience through pain, but that is not how it...works. That's not its purpose. The jagan is a weapon. In this role, I don't know how it works. Even the elder doesn't know anything except that it will control me better than she can."

"But it only hurts you if you disobey an order?" Kurama prodded.

Hiei's eyes narrowed, more anger slipping in to darken his gaze. "Unless the orders conflict. You said it before. If the orders conflict, it doesn't matter what I do."

"You..." Kurama let out a frustrated cry, crushing his palm over his eyes. "You stubborn idiot...!"

Silence held for a long moment, then Kurama set his shoulders and moved closer to Hiei, glaring into those dark red eyes. "How long were you going to let me sit here before you told me?"

"I don't understand what you mean," Hiei said quietly, warily. "I can't answer that."

"It's been hurting you since you told me to redefine my orders," Kurama accused. "Hasn't it."

"Yes."

"So how long were you going to wait before telling me!"

Hiei flinched back, his eyes wide and surprised. "I-I can't answer that," he said quickly. "I don't have a sense of time. I wasn't going to wait to tell you. I...don't have an answer for that."

"You mean," Kurama said tightly, "that you weren't going to tell me at all."

It wasn't a question, but Hiei responded anyway, his expression still wary and more than a little confused. "I said that you needed to redefine the orders. You understood that so long as they conflicted, it wouldn't matter what I did. I don't know what you think I would have to tell you, or why you think I would wait if I wanted to tell you something. You knew and chose not to do anything. It's not my place to question what you choose to do...or not to do."

"So you'd suffer in silence," Kurama drawled, his stomach twisting in anger and discomfort. "You were saying that before that woman cut you and gave you that eye. That it wasn't your...place...to question what I want or when. That's submissive idiocy humans outlawed over a century ago. You're not so inferior you can't question me, you aren't my servant or slave - as far as I'm concerned you're an acquaintance, a potential friend at the very least. Your people want me to have sex with you, to use me to break their curse - how does that make you the victim who has to obey every little thing I say? It doesn't make any sense, it's unreasonable and entirely...entirely..."

Kurama was shaking his head, that palm crushed to his aching temple. Hiei's voice was wary and soft when he responded to the question, "I'm not a victim and no one has made me a victim, so I can't answer that."

A frustrated groan filled the room, and Kurama lunged onto the pillow next to Hiei's. "I don't know how to deal with this," he muttered to himself. "Hiei?"

"Yes."

Not lifting his head from where he'd buried it in the soft cloth, Kurama sniffed. "I withdraw any order you think I've given you, so that eye doesn't have any right to hurt you. Do you understand?"

There was no response. After a long silence, Kurama peaked an eye up from the pillow and was surprised to find Hiei crouched next to him. "Did you hear me?" he asked.

"Drink this," Hiei said, a small but genuine smile curving his lips as he held out a warm mug. "It will help with your headache."

Kurama blinked in confusion, but rolled so he could accept the cup. "You didn't answer my question," he noted.

"No," Hiei said softly, his smile growing, just a bit. "I didn't."

There was something sweet about that smile, and Kurama found himself returning it, a wave of relief sweeping over him as he sighed. "Good. But it would still be nice if you'd cooperate the next time I ask you something - just to avoid problems."

"If I knew what cooperate meant," Hiei smirked, "I might try that."

Kurama grinned in response, raising an eyebrow. "We definitely need to work on our communication skills."

.-.  
TBC


	4. Part 4

**Notes:** I probably should have rewritten the early chapters before updating this. Bug me and I'll get around to it. I'm just lazy and impatient and more interested in writing new stuff than editing old stuff.

**Prophecy**

_Part 4_

Hours, days, possibly weeks passed in a white daze. Kurama was starting to understand what Hiei had meant when he'd said he had no sense of time. His own internal clock had been set so he'd get a minimum four hours' sleep per day. Now he slept whenever his eyes felt heavy. He napped. He started to think he was spending more time napping than he was awake. The only measurement he could find was Hiei's visits. He was always awake when Hiei came, and he didn't sleep until he left again. If Hiei came once a day, that would mean he'd been in the place for at least two weeks.

Two weeks. The thought frustrated him. He wasn't making progress. If anything, Hiei's visits seemed to be getting shorter. The second Kurama saw him he wanted to attack, to vent, to order him to help, because Hiei was clearly the only person who could. But he couldn't lash out at all because the moment his temper started to flare Hiei would tense up, glower at him, and leave. And each time he left Kurama had the feeling more hours passed before he finally came back.

How long before Hiei stopped coming at all? Kurama had found that the dark alcove was somehow always filled with food. He didn't need Hiei to feed him. They wouldn't starve him to death. But complete isolation...he didn't think he could handle that.

Kurama was lying on the bed when that white curtain lifted. He filed the number away, seventeen, and turned resentful eyes on Hiei. He'd stopped greeting him a while back, the tenth visit maybe, and they'd gotten into the habit of glowering resentfully at each other as soon as Hiei entered his room. This time Hiei didn't meet his eyes. He didn't go over to sit by the fire, either. He walked to the edge of the bed, sat on the floor and tossed a heavy black box in Kurama's lap.

"What's this?" Kurama asked. He sat up and frowned from the box to Hiei.

"A threat," said Hiei. He sounded tired, irritated like usual, but more tired than anything.

"What kind of threat?" asked Kurama, his frown deepening.

He didn't get a response. Hiei was bent over his folded legs with his chin propped on the back of his hands, his dark eyes heavy and half-lidded. He flicked an emotionless look at Kurama and closed his eyes completely. Kurama scowled down at him for a moment before opening that heavy box. He promptly growled.

The box seemed normal enough. It opened on dark hinges. The interior was lined in black cloth. What made Kurama growl was the contents. A threat, indeed. The bitch.

Kurama's teeth gnashed tightly and he glared at Hiei's bowed head. "Is this for me or you?"

Hiei flicked another of those dead looks at him, not bothering to lift or turn his head. "The collar's for me. The drink's for you."

"And what, exactly, will they do?" asked Kurama, with a malicious grin. "Does she think some pretty crystal collar will make me more eager to have sex with you? Or is that what the drink's for? Will you drug me?"

Hiei sighed and finally looked at him with a real expression. Annoyance. "I don't know what you want. If it were just a matter of me not knowing what to do to please you, you could use the jagan. You won't. If you're hesitating because you don't trust my submission, the collar will render me immobile." He sneered in distaste, "There's no _need_ for that, but it's there if you want it. There's nothing else I can do. As for the drink...I refused to give it to you unaware. That's the threat. You can take it by choice or wait for it to be added to everything you consume."

"So that's it," said Kurama. "Do it, be drugged into doing it, or starve to death."

"No," said Hiei, his eyes narrowing sharply. "You won't die. I won't let you. If it comes to that I will drug you by force."

Kurama's tail bristled at that, something he no longer bothered to be embarrassed by. He glared down at Hiei with a dangerous smile. "Really?"

"If I have to," Hiei spat. "I don't see why you're fighting so much. You told me your people take two to reproduce, so you know how. It isn't forbidden for you. If I'm the reason you find the idea repulsive, take the drink. It will stop your hesitation, but it won't hurt you in any way. You said you wanted me to help you get out of here. Finish this and you'll be free. How can I make this easier for you?"

"You can't," said Kurama. "That's just it. I don't want you to make it 'easy for me' - I don't want it at all. I wouldn't make babies to keep my mother happy, I'm sure as hell not going to do it for some alien strangers who keep me locked up like a prisoner. Especially if you're resorting to threats now. What happened to keeping me happy? That 'if you want anything, just ask' thing - what happened to that?"

"You didn't ask for anything I could give you. She has decided you never will."

Kurama stared at Hiei's tired eyes for a moment before shoving the box to the floor. He'd hoped that hateful black bottle might break on contact, but it simply rolled a few inches and lay still. Kurama dropped onto his back, one arm thrown over his eyes.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Hiei said quietly.

"Really," Kurama muttered.

"You were supposed to be eager, but you're not," Hiei continued. "The elder said you would be repulsive, but you're not. I thought it would be finished quickly. All I was taught was to wait and obey until it was done. She never thought I'd have to convince you to do it. Even she doesn't know what I should do to make you want me. She thinks it's something I've purposely done wrong, or refused to do. I think it's you. You're not the one."

Kurama lifted his arm so he could look at Hiei. "I've said that since the beginning."

"I know," Hiei frowned. "But you're the only one to come here. It doesn't matter what I think or what you say, she believes you're the one. She's tired of watching me fail to convince you." He snorted softly and dropped his chin back onto his hands, "I'm tired of it, too."

"Is she back to watching us, then?" Kurama asked sharply. He shot a glare at that white curtain. "Is she watching now?"

"No," said Hiei, "not now. I was told to drug you and I refused. That's why I was allowed to bring the threat openly. If you choose to drink, she won't interfere anymore. If you refuse, I'm to remain here until the drug is added to your food. Either way, this will be finished."

There really wasn't a point getting angry with Hiei. Kurama did anyway. He couldn't help it. All of this was easy for Hiei to accept because Hiei wanted it to happen as much as that old woman did. Why should he look so tired and frustrated? Kurama was the one being forced into a corner. Kurama glowered at him.

"So you're staying here all the time," said Kurama. "And what happens when they do start drugging the food? I could order you to test it before I eat any of it."

Hiei frowned, "Why would you do that?"

"So I know if it's drugged or not, obviously." Kurama paused at Hiei's confused expression. "What, are you immune to it?"

"I don't know," said Hiei, "but it wouldn't matter. Even if I wanted to hurt you, the jagan would stop me. I can't attack you any more than I can watch you starve yourself. No drug will change that."

Kurama really didn't know which of them was the most stubborn. Hiei reminded him of a religious martyr, fitting, since he was playing the part of virgin prude. It wasn't that he had that much trouble considering sex with Hiei. His features were exotic, and the more they argued the more Kurama found himself struggling with attraction. It was a matter of principle. And the potential offspring. The whole point was to produce a child - a child Kurama wouldn't even be around to see, let alone raise as his own. All these people really wanted was a sperm donor. Why should he have to be intimate with someone he'd never see again when he could jerk off in a cup instead? Ridiculous.

Kurama scowled down at Hiei's curved back. "Do you even know what sex is?"

"Disgusting, painful, and forbidden."

Kurama blinked. "What?"

"I've known since I was born," Hiei shrugged. "It destroyed my mother and was the curse that stopped all births from then on. I was born from it and when I give birth from it, the cycle will close and the curse will be lifted. That's my purpose."

Kurama stared at him. He felt frustrated, bemused, and sad for him, but more than that he felt tired. Defeated. God help him, he just wanted to go home. And he knew what that meant...

"You don't understand how strange it is for me to listen to you," Kurama sighed. "All you know is that it's some taboo act, that woman out there," he waved at the curtain, "thinks it's degrading like only lower lifeforms would even consider it, and yet you've been pushing me to do it from the moment I showed up here - just _because_ I showed up here. Every time one of you demeans sex, you're insulting _me_ because you think I engage in it freely with random strangers. And you don't even think about that because as far as you're concerned, your purpose is to give birth and my purpose is to knock you up. It's ridiculous. I'm not some ignorant _animal_."

"I'm glad for that," Hiei commented.

Kurama blinked again. "What?"

"It would have been finished quicker with an animal," Hiei shrugged. "That's what I was told you'd be, mindless, disgusting. But you're beautiful. I'm glad for that, even if it means you're more difficult than an animal would be."

A bemused expression fell over Kurama's face. That was a backhanded compliment if he'd ever heard one. He didn't know whether to admire Hiei's resolve to submit to whatever male showed up, animal or humanoid, or to be flattered that Hiei liked his appearance. It wasn't as if Hiei had good taste, not if he'd have been just as willing to have sex with a mindless disgusting animal. No, he was helplessly amused, slightly sickened, and not the least bit flattered.

"Beautiful?" asked Kurama. Okay, maybe a tiny bit flattered.

"To me," said Hiei, with another shrug. "The elder finds you disgusting."

And right back to being insulted. Kurama glowered at the white curtain. As if he cared what that bigoted old bitch thought of him, anyway. He shook his head, flexed his back, fluffed that tail of his - it felt good, whether it looked dignified or not - and gave Hiei a determined look.

"So," Kurama said sharply. "I have sex with you, I get sent home. That's it?"

Hiei straightened out of his tired slump and blinked in surprise. "Yes. You're considering it?"

"I'm considering," Kurama nodded. "Just considering, mind you. Come here."

He moved so their faces were at the same level, Hiei kneeling at the side of the bed. It was a test, he decided firmly, just a test. He put a light hand on Hiei's shoulder and stopped cold. The moment he touched him, Hiei tensed up and that blank expression from their first meeting swept over his face. Kurama grimaced and pulled his hand back.

"There you go," Kurama muttered. "It might be fine for you, but I can't have sex with a 'mindless animal'. I'm the one who has to be aroused for any _fertilization_ to take place and that's not going to happen if I'm in bed with someone as expressionless as a corpse. You could at least _try_ to look like you want to do this."

Hiei flinched and sent him a strange look. Frustrated? Confused? A little of both, Kurama thought.

"Then it's me," Hiei murmured, with a thoughtful frown. "My expression. Can you do it without looking at me? I could cover my face-"

"No!" Kurama blurted. "No, that would make it even worse! A headless corpse..."

Hiei shifted with a frustrated little growl and Kurama felt a helpless laugh building in his chest. It was ridiculous. Utterly.

Kurama smiled and slid over so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Listen, Hiei. Where I come from people don't have impersonal sex. There used to be places they could go where they'd have sex with strangers in the dark, just warm faceless bodies, anonymous pleasure. But that sort of thing stopped a long time ago. Even if it was going on now, I wouldn't take part in it. What you're suggesting is quite possibly the _least_ arousing thing I can think of."

Hiei frowned at him, as if he were thinking about what he'd said. "Arousing is important?"

Kurama couldn't help it. He laughed and winced and smacked a hand over his eyes. He was so innocent! This was beyond ridiculous. "It's very important, Hiei. It's vital. There's no sex unless at least one participant is aroused - and there's no sex with _me_ unless _both_ participants are aroused."

He lifted his hand a little so he could peak down at Hiei. "Didn't that woman tell you anything about the act itself?"

Hiei glowered and managed to look both embarrassed and insulted. "Of course," he snapped.

"What did she tell you?" Kurama prodded. He probably shouldn't have been enjoying this so much, but Hiei's belligerent expression was very cute.

Hiei opened his mouth and stared for a long while. Then he grimaced and looked horrified. "You want to _talk_ about it..?"

"Why not?" Kurama wondered. "You're willing to do it, is talking about it any worse?"

"Yes," Hiei said sharply. He closed his mouth, dropped back on his heels, and folded his arms over his chest.

"So stubborn," said Kurama. He smirked at Hiei's glowering eyes and gave a slow, careless shrug. "Well, if you want me to keep considering this, you'll tell me what she told you. If you can't talk about it, you certainly aren't ready to do it. I'm not interested in having sex with a child. Not even a drug will change that."

"I'm not a child," Hiei growled.

"Really," Kurama scoffed. "How do you know?"

"I stopped growing."

That was a pretty good sign, Kurama had to admit. Still. "You don't have to tell me what she said, but you'd probably be better off forgetting it. If she's as asexual as the rest of those koorime, she knows less about sex than you do."

"She knows enough," Hiei muttered. He glared at his lap and put a hand over his stomach. "The child will grow here. In order for it to grow there," and he waved a hand at Kurama's crotch, "you have to stick _that_ inside me. It's not hard or sharp, so stabbing won't work. I only have two natural openings big enough and what I swallow is digested. It's isn't difficult to figure out what that leaves."

Hiei grimaced and shook his head in disgust at having to talk about it. A long bout of silence passed before he glanced up and scowled at Kurama's expression. "What?" he growled. "You're the one who asked."

Kurama swallowed and choked and finally erupted in snickers. He flopped back on the bed and laughed in a way that sounded suspiciously like giggling sobs. "Oh, God, help us. I think you need that drug more than I do...!"

"Are you laughing at me?" asked Hiei. "Stop it."

He sounded surprised, insulted, and maybe even hurt. Kurama choked and smothered louder laughter behind his hands. It was too much, it was just too much. He heard Hiei rise to his feet, a low growl rumbling through clenched teeth. And he sputtered harder than ever.

"Oh, Hiei, I'm sorry," Kurama choked out, "really. It's just...you..."

"Stop laughing," Hiei growled.

"I-can't," Kurama whined, teary eyes glittering on Hiei's furious expression. "You-" He gasped and gave a cough-like laugh, "It's not hard or sharp? Maybe not sharp, but _hard_ - and stabbing - you, oh, God...! You've never had an erection in your life and I was - I was here trying to teach - tell you about the importance of a-arousal...!"

Hiei turned on his heel and dropped out of sight. Kurama swallowed some more of that convulsive laughter. Then he pushed himself up on his elbows so he could see what Hiei was doing. "Hiei?"

"I changed my mind," Hiei said coldly. He walked back to the bed and thrust the black bottle at Kurama. "Drink it."

"Hiei," Kurama winced, "I didn't mean anything by it. It's just-"

"Drink it," said Hiei. "No more of this."

Kurama accepted the bottle just so Hiei would stop leaning so close to him. He sounded so cold, but there was a shuttered look in those red eyes that told Kurama he'd struck harder than he'd meant to. Hiei didn't understand why he'd laughed at him. Of course he didn't. How could he? He'd reluctantly told him what he'd been too uncomfortable to talk about, because Kurama had pushed, and how did he react? Uncontrollable laughter. Kurama winced and fingered the heavy bottle, not quite looking up to meet Hiei's ragged stare.

"I'm sorry," said Kurama. "I'll...I'll consider drinking this. Why don't you, um..." He glanced up to find Hiei watching him, arms folded over his chest. This time the stance looked more defensive than belligerent. Kurama forced a weak smile onto his face. "Why don't you take a bath. If we do end up doing something together, you'll want to be clean first."

Hiei sent a wary look into the bathroom and Kurama guessed the problem immediately. He'd never seen Hiei step foot in the room, no matter how long he'd visited him. The koorime probably didn't have facilities like that - like the fire made only for Kurama. Convenient distraction, Kurama decided.

"Here," said Kurama. "I'll show you how to work the knobs. No need to hesitate. It's really quite simple..."

.-.

TBC


End file.
